[의학신문·일간보사=정광성 기자] The cradle of vaccine development to fight infectious diseases that threaten humanity from the past to the present and the future. With the best infrastructure and know-how in Korea from vaccine research and development to production, Korea University Medicine Science Park is a healthcare convergence platform where research is being conducted through free collaboration.
Korea University Medicine Science Park is centered on the ‘Mong-Koo Chung Vaccine Innovation Center’, which conducts research on original technology for vaccine development, evaluation of candidate substance effectiveness, and preclinical research, and up to 32 new drug development research institutes and healthcare startups to collaborate. plan.
As for the companies that have moved into Dongwha Bio Hall so far, more than 70% of the total space is occupied by 7 companies, including Celllab Med, GH Farm, and Dial Nano, and additional occupancy is planned. In addition, there are many companies founded by professors from Korea Medical University, and free collaboration is possible as there are no physical restrictions.
Among the resident companies, there are companies equipped with good drug manufacturing GMP facilities (good manufacturing and management standards), so it is a research complex where both R&D and production can be performed in response to new infectious diseases.
Vaccine Center, the center of the development of ‘native universal vaccine’ at the ancient medicine science park
The Korea University Medicine Science Park Vaccine Center took a strong first step by donating 10 billion won to Hyundai Motor Group honorary chairman Chung Mong-koo, who agreed with the Korea University Medical Center for the development of a ‘native universal vaccine’.
Korea University Medical Center has a legacy of vaccine development. The late Professor Ho-Wang Lee, who was mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2021, discovered for the first time in the world ‘Hantavirus’, a pathogen of epidemic hemorrhagic fever, one of the world’s three major infectious diseases, and developed ‘Hantabox’, a preventive vaccine.
In addition, professors from the Department of Infectious Diseases, succeeding Professor Ho-Wang Lee, made the world’s first cell-cultured quadrivalent influenza vaccine together with SK Chemicals in 2016.
In order to develop a vaccine, not only doctors from Korea University Medical Center, but also virus and immunology experts will join, and actively collaborate with the college of life sciences and engineering.
An official from the Korea University Medical Center said, “Through this cooperation, the goal is to discover a carrier (vector) that will replace adenovirus within a few years. Even if an infectious disease arrives, we will be able to respond quickly,” he said.
In fact, the basic principle of vaccine is to induce immune formation by putting the antigen of the pathogen into the body. AstraZeneca and Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccines are being used as carriers.
In addition, the Medical Center explained that it has a goal of discovering three new drug candidates using the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) method used in Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines and applying them to the treatment of chronic diseases.
To this end, high-tech facilities such as ABSL3 and BSL3 that can safely study viruses with a high risk of infection will be completed in November next year along with the extension work in Jeong Mong-gu, where the Vaccine Innovation Center is located.
In addition, the company plans to plan and operate a global infectious disease expert program that can respond to a pandemic crisis, and will focus on nurturing human resources centering on the Medi Science Park.
In addition, MediScience Park is working hard on external cooperation. While establishing a cooperative system with the Seoul-designated ‘Hongneung Jiangsu Special Research Zone’, in December last year, SK Bioscience signed an industry-university cooperation agreement to respond to the pandemic.
Korea University Medical Center and SK Bioscience will cooperate in △establishing domestic and foreign infectious disease monitoring systems △research on vaccine development and △cultivation of industry experts.
SK Bioscience will provide business support for smooth progress, and will donate a total of KRW 5 billion in research funds and pay them sequentially over three years.